HARRISBURG, Pa. — As of Wednesday, three congressional races in Pennsylvania remained undecided, with ongoing vote counting as Republicans aimed to maintain their narrow majority in the U.S. House.
Achieving a House majority would enable the GOP to have complete control in Congress, complementing President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
In each of the uncalled races, Republican candidates were ahead, although some ballots had yet to be counted.
One of these races was centered in the Allentown area, where Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Susan Wild conceded to Republican challenger Ryan Mackenzie.
Mackenzie, who is currently a member of the state House of Representatives, managed to pull ahead despite the fact that Democrats had a slight edge in voter registration within the district. The political landscape here has made Wild a frequent target for Republican challenges in recent elections.
Another unresolved contest was taking place in the northeastern part of the state, encompassing Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. In this race, six-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright faced a challenge from Rob Bresnahan, a newly minted Republican candidate and construction company owner.
Bresnahan asserted he had won the race early Wednesday morning. Although Democrats held a marginal registration advantage, the district had previously favored Trump in the 2020 presidential election, making Cartwright one of five Democrats nationally running for reelection in a district that shifted toward Trump.
The final uncalled race was in southern Pennsylvania, where Republican Rep. Scott Perry sought a seventh term representing his GOP-friendly district surrounding Harrisburg and York.
Opposing him was Janelle Stelson, a former Republican who recently became a Democrat and is known for her lengthy career as a local TV news anchor.
Perry, who had chaired the Freedom Caucus—a faction known for its hardline conservative views—was notably involved in controversies, including having his cellphone seized by FBI agents as part of an investigation into Trump loyalists linked to efforts to retain power in 2020. No criminal charges have been filed against Perry.
In other developments across Pennsylvania, a total of 14 incumbents successfully secured reelection in their respective races.